Just like the Rite when he faced the paladins on the brink of death and exhausted beyond belief, Malcor reached out with all his frustrated dreams, humiliations, hopes, and memories of his friends now that supported him. He unlocked his berserker fury and let it explode out of him in a torrent. Tembri now caught Sako and Noboyuki shielding them with his body and plunging them underwater as a flame strike of dark grey and red energy tornadoed out from Malcor’s opening arms. The pool of blood boiled and then evaporated as the force of that battle hymn tore the wraiths to shreds and then shredded the blood wraith to ash. Though Tembri and the pool shielded the Imperics from the worst of it, scald and scorch marks riddled their bodies. Tembri’s back blistered and cratered from the shadow dragon bled and Tembri screamed in agony. Malcor still held the tattered fragments of his cloak containing the lich’s gauntlet.
Reznor reappeared. “Well done,” he said. “You’ll survive. Battle Priest, I apologize but since I am not a healer, I’ll do the best I can.” He blew at them and frost from his breath cooled and chilled and then numbed Tembri’s back. A second spell, interrupted, “Priest, you must allow this spell –“ continued and Tembri’s mind stopped registering the pain and shock. “These will last till you can be attended by a proper healer.”
Reznor took his bearings and then re-enacted the passwall spell. A tunnel of blackness two people wide opened and then shot out from his hand. Sunlight glowed at the end. “Your work here is done. I will see you back in Tania. Malcor, well done sir.” A spectral hand appeared, scooped them up, and carried them floating out of the mountain.
As they rose up the magical tunnel, they saw several places where the tunnel had cut through other tunnels and in a few cases, appeared to have cut undead in pieces. When they got closer, they found the sunlight filtered through burning fires and smoke. They exited to the side of Blade’s rampage. Wildfires burned everywhere giving the scene of the once large and wild mountain an apocalyptic slant. Seeing them, Blade swerved and dove to them, scorching and burning the mountain all around them as he landed. With his terror fully unleashed, Sako and Noboyuki fell unconscious. It was odd watching such otherwise brave people succumb to something Malcor had taken for granted though even he felt disconnected, like he watched this all happening to someone else. He bowed to the dread lord. In a flash, Blade scooped the four of them into his massive claw and leapt back into the air.
The world looked so small from the dragon’s rapid ascent, but all around the mountain raged fires. Still glowing and molten rock dripped down the main face of the fortress. Blade circled the mountain letting his terror drive any survivors into madness. Whenever larger groups presented themselves, he raged down upon them. Tembri noted the intent to allow a few to live and explained it to Malcor. “The stories of the few who survive, repeated over centuries, enhance the terror.”
Blade landed near the southern gate of Ori. Even at this distance, the burning ruin of the mountain rose from the horizon. Blade let his terror smash into the Imperics, most of whom fled the wall. Blade carefully opened his claw and let the two Tanians retrieve Sako and Noboyuki. Turning his head to the sky, he roared out a challenge heard and felt by all of Ori as a nightmare. After the chaos ended, a band of samurai stoically approached. Blade waited until they were almost in range and then humanshifted. The samurai drew a deep breath as the crushing dragonterror retracted like cat claws. Still tense, they walked up and bowed to Blade and then to Tembri. “Are you, are they,” pointing to Sako and Noboyuki, “okay?”
Tembri nodded and clapped Malcor’s shoulder. “This is a paladin from Morbatten. With the dread lord’s assistance, we rescued these two Imperics. We also bring very good news.” Malcor almost offered the soul gem gauntlet, but Tembri hand signed him to not and continued. “Dar Kendra, who visited your lord last month, has found a way to return the captured souls of your people. Even now, her troops assault the mountain and fight against the lich. Dark necromancy aside, we request a place to rest and recover from our wounds. When Dar Kendra arrives, she will be able to return the souls. I bring you this message as an offering of peace.”
Sako and the priest started to stir and suddenly gasped awake, straining against the combat they last knew. Seeing concerned faces of samurai and the crest of Imperius, in the sunshine, they blinked in confusion. The samurai helped them stand.
“Did we get the soul gem?” Noboyuki asked.
Malcor shook his head. “Yes and also no, Dar Kendra needs it as part of defeating the lich. We sent it back with Lord Reznor.”
Noboyuki bowed to Tembri formally and then with more warmth to Malcor. “That adventure was, intense. I have fulfilled my obligations and regret our friend Jaga did not make it. That I made it, I thank you.” Sako joined in thanking them.
The samurai in charge of the group nodded and said, “You are welcome to stay and await the return of your Tanian friends. Turning to Sako and Noboyuki, he added, “The high priest will want to speak with you both.” Though the captain’s face went pale looking at Blade, he swallowed and said, “Ori is in no condition to receive royalty from Tania Dread Lord Blade. May I – “
“Save it. I must return to ensure the lich’s fall. An orc army also advances on your southern wall. I will dispose of them with fire.” So saying, Blade leapt into the air and dragonshifted. The wind of his departure swirled about them for minutes and they watched him reach altitude and then faster than seemed possible, Blade tore off to the south. A warm wind blew back that whispered, "Though Tania would not hesitate to accommodate your royal family."
The samurai turned pale, choked, and asked Noboyuki and Tembri, “Lord priests, I did not offend I hope?” and swallowed again.
Tembri shrugged and said, “Well, look at it from his perspective. He’s helping defeat the lich that almost destroyed Ori. He just brought you two survivors and news that Tania has found how to restore your royal family and their souls. But, you were about to turn him away? What would your daimo do if the dragon emperor greeted such good news and heroic sacrifice with that? And, of course Blade is the son of the emperor and a dragon.”
The captain broke out into a sweat. “I’ll see how we can make it right! Tell me, Tembri, did you hear from Sir Allen, he led a group of Pha Rannnic knights?”
“Only that there is such a group. I did not see them.”
“Very well, we will find you accommodations near the castle. Please, all of you come with me.”
Chapter Sixty Three - The Order versus the Lich
Far under the lich’s mountain, back in the room of the golden seal, the lich’s barrier had at last crackled into shards of magical light. The interlocking vertebrae clicked down the lich’s arm and mace version of the wand appeared there. The lich, through the explosion of its falling barrier, pointed the mace at the closest enemy and commanded the female healer to “Die!”
A ray of green light speared the healer and she screamed, her life force draining but it did not take enough to slay her. The lich and the wand looked confused for just a moment and then Kendra’s sword slammed into the lich’s lower back as Verit and others pressed in from all sides. A battle priest nearby called upon the Queen to banish the lich, while others did the same for either the Wand or the lich. Though they failed, resisting a barrage of spells capable of ending them distracted the lich. In that distraction, a battle priest leapt forward and scored a critical hit. Though he just barely touched the lich’s leg, the nullification magic he carried with both the Queen’s might and the Apprentice’s magic put the sceptre to sleep. Alone but still possessed, the lich raged against them.
Finger spikes grew out from the lich’s nails and it swept down at the hapless priest, utterly exposed. The bloody gashes that eviscerated the poor man gave the others a chance to attack. Freed of the Wand’s influence, the lich altered the gates to call something besides a hellhound. It flashed as something on the other side answered. Two of the paladins moved to intercept whatever would come through, their battle priests summoning shiel
d and mace to cover them from anything the lich might do.
Kendra signaled a series of attacks to press the lich back while the Apprentice readied a new spell. The lich intuiting their defense of the mage, turned its fury on the mage. It summoned a force wall and sent it flying towards the Apprentice. At the last instant, the Apprentice finished his spell and blocked the wall with giant glowing hands that pressed back against it. The wall effectively cut the mage and the two paladins off from the main combat. However, the lich’s attention on them opened him to Verit who drove his sword threw the lich’s back, its fiery point bursting through the lich’s chest plate. The lich used its strength to whirl but Verit jumped letting the movement carry him.
Spinning, the lich found three battle priests and two paladins attacking his face with holy might and razor weapons. Behind him, Verit wrapped his gauntlet around the interlocked Wand’s spine and pulled. A bloodstone earing along his ear ignited with magic and lent Verit strength as he pulled.
Another battle priest seeing that called on Takhissis to bless him with dragon’s strength, and then Kendra’s sword wove into the slowly opening and bleeding gap to spiral up towards the ram’s head. Like spider mandibles, first one then another of the device’s connections to the lich’s spine pulled free drenching Verit in ichor and stank blood.
The ram began to awaken as the first, then second, and then faster as all the other pincers began pulling free. The pain to the lich expressed itself as a foul mist of black ash and carrion insects the lich blew out at the fighters to his front. One of the healers failed to catch his breath and his body filled with vapor and then burst in an explosion of new ash. The wand, fully awake now, twisted and swept the area behind the lich with that green ray and then focused it directly on Verit.
The screams of agony that filled the cavern as insects crawled into noses, ears, and eyes biting and chewing into any tissue as well as Verit’s agony galvanized the Apprentice who completed his spell. On the other side of the force wall, a wall of fire formed and then swept the entire chamber. The Order of Water clad in dragon armor and immune by the Queen’s blessing ignored the flames, as did the lich, but it ended the black vapor and insects. Wiping blood from their eyes and faces, the Order regrouped while the lich suddenly blinked away and Verit fell to the ground convulsing as his body writhed in unholy light.
Reappearing by the gate, the lich triggered his soul sucking spell. It tore at the paladins there and they fought to resist it. Suddenly the soul tearing force vanished and the lich smashed his gauntlet as if it had broken. Behind the lich, the gate flashed a final time and large scaled balls floated through covered with eyes. The eye stalks immediately began waiving about and everyone present dove behind cover. The lich began laughing evilly as the wand twisted and placed its skull atop the lich's head. Connected again, the ram’s head turned its focus on the undead rising up from the treasure floor, augmenting them and smashing them together into larger and more powerful undead. Every so often, that deathly green light would lance out and sear armor. Reconnected to the wand, the lich lost its fury and took on a more serene expression. The pincers began rethreading into the lich's spine.
Twenty floating eye-covered balls armored in waving eye stalks drifted into the room. The paladins and their support groups eyed them from positions of cover and then a thin gray line of light arced out from one of the balls buzzing and hissing through the air where it struck the ankle of a healer, who petrified into stone. A split second later, another ray of light but much wider opened on the treasure pile Kendra and the Apprentice had taken cover behind. The wide circle narrowed and then the treasure began to levitate, vaporizing into powder. From the midst of the floating balls, a cruel alien chuckle sounded and then the treasure pile vaporized leaving Kendra on guard in front of the Apprentice.
“Beholder!” Kendra cried. “Everyone, on guard and attack the lich – he is the prize!” At her command, multiple rays of magical energy cut out through the floating balls. Where they struck a few, the balls exploded in a foul mist that forced everyone to hold their breaths. “Mage, help.” She leapt at the lich. Her fingers danced along her shield and Verit to her left acknowledged with a loud cry of “yes”.
Strength, energy, healing, and the Goddess’ blessing flew into them and the others as they charged. Kendra called on her sword and sent it snaking at the lich. The ram’s head saw it and the small wand in the lich’s hand parried. However, Kendra twisted her sword and the blade grabbed onto the wand. Furious, the lich pulled and Kendra used the creature’s evil strength to speed her own mighty jump to clear the distance. Behind her, Verit leapt and vanished only to reappear behind the lich. His leap landed him on the lich’s back, again. The lich started to turn, but Kendra caught him and lifted him off the ground as the other paladins and priests closed in around it.
From above, the deadly cloud of exploding gas balls drenched them in a fine brown powder that sparkled as if filled with gold. And from above now, those deadly rays of light cut through their ranks with petrification, disintegration, near death-like wounds, and lightning. One such ray washed over Kendra who swore, and then petrified.
Unbalanced by Kendra crushing him, and his right arm held by her sword the lich tried to leverage its other arm to pry her off, but another paladin grappled the lich’s left side ineffectively, but still entangling it. The lich howled as the wand suddenly fell quiescent and Verit once again man-handled the spiny mandibles off the lich’s spine. With a triumphant cry, Verit tore the wand free, the ram’s head again detaching from the lich’s head.
The wand immediately came alive like a boney eel trying to take possession of Verit. Freed again from the Wand, the lich remembered his soul tear had failed and he tried to walk forward, to cast a spell, to free himself, but the Order tackled him to the ground and punched, clubbed, stabbed, and then those deadly arcs of energy rained down and the paladin pinning his left arm went rigid and unmoving with paralysis. Kendra still bear hugging him to the point bones had started to crack, petrified. “My soul – “ the lich howled and then a mace of dragonflames wielded by one of the battle priests smashed into his face.
Still holding their breaths, the Order once again ignored the beholder and sweeping off his cloak, one of the paladins dove at Verit and covered the wand. Verit and the ram’s head were eye-locked in a battle of wills. Verit was on the brink of losing when the cloak enwrapped the ram’s head and Verit fell unconscious. The others looked towards the beholder. Only a few of the barely different gas balls remained and they orbited the creature while eye stalks tracked the remaining members of the Order. Behind them, the Apprentice frantically danced through a spell and when the weakest healer was about to take a breath, the Apprentice finished and pointed at the beholder. A single word said simultaneously in the multiple languages boomed in the room, “Blind!”
Bright suns of light and fire sprang into life all around the beholder burning radiant and clean. The beholder screamed and all its eyes closed even as its large face singed and began to smolder. The Apprentice looked for guidance from Kendra, but finding none called out again, “Retreat now and you live!” The sun burning directly behind the beholder and between it and the gate moved aside. “Three,” the mage demanded. “Two.”
The beholder tried to open its massive central eye but the sun there exploded growing in diameter many times. “Flee or die. You will make an excellent trophy for Takhissis!” the mage said as boldly as he could. Stark shadows erupted throughout the huge vault as rays of sunshine gleamed in the smoke and dust of their combat. In the shadow behind the dais, a battle priest dragged the lich further from the wand and away from the beholder. There he finished the job by smashing through the lich’s neck armor with his sharp-bladed mace. When the gorget finally shattered, the mace brutally severed the lich’s head. Sprinkling it with water from Morbatten’s great temple, the priest carefully wrapped it in scripture-written cloths and sealed it into his gear pack.
The beholder’s evil smile crack
ed open and that alien voice replied, “You bluff. You were many but are now few. You cannot defeat me. I am a GOD!”
“Last chance, ONE!”
The beholders wavered and then pulled back through the gate, which closed behind them. The remaining gas spores exploded. When a magical wind blew the spores away, the Order breathed deeply and then took stock of their wounded and fallen. They bore the scars and damage and wounds of the vicious battles that had brought them here. They had arrived drenched in the blood of their enemies. They had fought. Of the forty-seven arriving, only eight remained functional. All were exhausted or so close to death, that they just stared in stunned silence at each other.
Though not wounded, the Apprentice looked haggard and worn. He coughed and blood dribbled from his mouth and then he fell forward vomiting blood as the exertion and toll of his magic wracked his frail body. Wrapped in a cloak, the wand screamed for aid and sought to tempt and seduce a new host, but it could not see. Its random attempts to exert control seemed pathetic. One of the battle priests found an Imperic silk tapestry and unrolled it. They carefully placed the wand in it and rolled it back up.
Malcor's Story Page 45